Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Soon after arriving at the fair, Hailey pulled Ruelle toward a stall where polished metal hairpins with small coloured stones were laid out on the table beneath the glow of hanging lanterns. A small crowd of women had gathered around it, each examining the pieces and holding them up to their hair.

Ruelle smiled at Hailey, who was eagerly looking through the pins, and she glanced back toward the rest of their group.

Edward and Kevin stood in the middle of the path. While Kevin appeared perfectly at ease, the same could not be said for the prince. Edward's shoulders stiffened each time someone brushed too close, his gaze darkening as he glared at the passing crowd.

As Ruelle's gaze drifted further across the fair, she spotted Claude standing near another stall, casually eating what looked like a potato bun as though he had come only to enjoy the festivities. Yet she knew better than to believe that.

"Is there any place you two want to go to?" Ruelle asked once they returned to rescue the prince.

Away from these people, Edward thought immediately, as someone bumped into his shoulder again.

"There is a hit-the-target winning stall. We should go there," Kevin suggested, and hearing this, Edward's eyes lit up.

"Win a prize?" questioned the prince as an idea quickly formed in his mind. "Alright, let us go there next. Make way!"

On their way, they passed rows of food stalls where the scent of freshly baked bread and roasted meat drifted through the cold air. The deeper they walked into the fair, the chatter of the crowd grew louder mixed with laughter, music, and the occasional shout from vendors trying to draw people in.

By the time they reached the target stall, a small crowd had already gathered at the place. Ruelle watched as one of the men threw an axe, only for it to fly off and strike the wooden post above the vendor's head. The vendor glared at him while the people around laughed.

"Ah, amateurs," Edward clicked his tongue. "Why don't you try first?" he suggested to Kevin, as if wanting to show his skill in the last.

"Feel free to use dagger, crossbow or the axe to hit the bullseye! Win this doll for the fair maidens," the vendor advertised loudly.

Soon Kevin picked up the daggers and threw them at the board. And though they hit the board, they never touched the centre. Hailey patted his back to comfort him.

Just as Edward stepped forward, rolling his shoulders and cracking his knuckles before reaching for the axe, another hand reached past him and picked up the crossbow. He frowned slightly and followed the hand upward, only to realise it was Ruelle.

"You are going to try as well?" Edward asked, genuine surprise in his voice.

"Yes," Ruelle replied calmly as she checked the weight of the crossbow in her hands. Then she glanced at him and asked, "Would you like to go first?"

"That is quite alright, I am in no hurry," Edward said. "You may go first. Though if you want to hit the centre, I could give you a few pointers. I am very good at it."

"Maybe if I don't hit the target," Ruelle smiled and turned to the front, taking a deep breath.

"The young lady wishes to try! Take a look," the vendor called out, and a few people nearby paused, curious to see how she would fare.

Ruelle lifted the crossbow and set the arrow in place before pulling the string back. Her elbow angled slightly as she steadied herself, and for a brief moment, she remembered cold fingers brushing lightly against her arm, adjusting her stance.

She focused on the centre of the board and released the arrow. The arrow struck the bullseye with a sharp sound. The next two arrows followed the first one, each landing cleanly in the centre.

Edward's mouth fell open as cheers erupted and the vendor handed the doll to Ruelle, something he had intended to win for her himself.

"Ruelle! That was incredible!" Hailey exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"That definitely didn't look like luck," Kevin said with a grin.

Ruelle smiled, a small, genuine smile she could not quite hold back. She had not expected to hit the centre on the first try, and the small cheer that followed gave her a quiet confidence.

When it was Edward's turn, he stepped forward and picked up the axe, testing its weight once before drawing his arm back.

The axe struck the board with a loud crack, but the next second the entire board split cleanly into two halves and fell apart. The vendor's mouth fell open and he wore a look of shock.

Noticing two more boards, Edward threw two more axes in such a way that the boards split up. The prince murmured in disappointment, "It appears your boards are somewhat weak."

Before the vendor, who looked like he was going to cry, would say something, Hermes quickly pushed some coins on the table as compensation and said in a troubled voice,

"Your Highness, please restrain your strength. People are watching."

But Edward didn't pay attention as he turned to catch Ruelle's surprised reaction and he smiled.

At the far end of the fair, Ezekiel stepped down from the carriage, followed by Caroline.

For a brief moment, Caroline found herself remembering the fairs she used to attend with her sister. They would argue with vendors over prices and then share whatever food they managed to buy. The memory made her smile faintly, but the smile did not last long and her hand wrapped itself around Ezekiel's arm.

"By the way… Eze," she said after a moment, turning to him, "where will we stay once the house and the rest of the things are sold? We could have stayed with my parents, if Father hadn't gambled the house away."

"There is a cottage," Ezekiel lied, as his eyes scanned the crowd. "One of the ministers has been kind enough to offer it to us for the time being."

Caroline's face brightened at once. "That is very kind of him," she said. "We must prepare a proper gift to show our gratitude."

Ezekiel gave a nod, but his attention was elsewhere. If the letter had been delivered as instructed, things should already be in motion, and he questioned where the debt collectors were.

On the deeper side of the fair, Ruelle and the others stopped in front of a snowcone stall, where even Hermes had gone to buy one.

"Your Highness, would you like to try this?" Hermes asked with a bright smile, holding out the colourful snowcone.

Edward looked at it and wrinkled his nose in clear displeasure. "Hermes, you truly have very simple tastes," he said, folding his arms. "I cannot believe you find joy in such things."

"Some of the simplest things are the most enjoyable," Ruelle replied, which drew Edward's attention. She held out her own snowcone toward him. "You should try it."

"Why would anyone want to eat snow that falls from the sky? Do people truly spend money on this?" Edward frowned at it. "It is stupid."

A few folks nearby turned to look at him. "Looks like a madman," a woman whispered, pulling her child away.

"For a beggar, he certainly has strong opinions on snowcones," one of the men muttered.

Edward's head snapped in that direction, his expression darkening instantly. He demanded, "Whom are you calling a beggar, you insolent peasant? I will have you beheaded!"

The man paled and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

"Your Highness…" Hermes tried to quieten the prince.

Edward clicked his tongue and turned away, only to notice that Ruelle was still holding the snowcone out to him. "It is just ice," he said.

"Try it first," Ruelle insisted. "Then you can continue insulting it."

Edward stared at her for a moment before taking it from her hand and taking a cautious bite. He paused for two seconds as if his tongue were testing the flavour. Then took another bite and soon it was all over.

Ruelle chuckled at his reaction.

With another snowcone now in Edward's hand, Ruelle and the others continued further into the fair, where the crowd thinned and the lanterns grew fewer between the stalls.

They were passing by a narrow stall when Ruelle caught an old woman gathering the cards laid out on the table. Her hair was completely grey, and so were her eyes. Deep lines ran across her face, and in the dim light of the stall, her expression was difficult to read.

Edward, who caught Ruelle staring, turned to notice the person and he informed her, "That's a fortune teller."

When Ruelle took a peek, she noticed the table carried a crystal ball where smoke seemed to coil inside it slowly. It was fascinating to watch it. Though when her eyes fell on the bloody knife sitting right behind the old woman, her eyes widened.

The next moment, the old woman pushed the knife beneath her dress and said, "Had to cook chicken."

"Kevin, do you want to try a reading?" Hailey asked curiously.

"I don't believe in such things," Kevin replied, with his eyes moving to the next stall. He said, "I will be looking at the swords two stalls down."

Ruelle had never tried to speak to a fortune teller before. It was probably because of how they often stared at her when her eyes met theirs. In the past it had made her uncomfortable.

Hearing the scrape of a chair, Ruelle turned to see Edward take a seat across from the old woman. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, as though already bored.

"Go on then," he said. "Read mine. Tell me how long I will live… or whether my brothers will find a way to kill me first."

The old woman did not react to the way he spoke. She simply shuffled the cards slowly in her hands before drawing three cards and placing them on the table one by one. She studied them for a long moment, humming softly to herself.

"You must be careful. You have a strong fate," she said. "You will lead one day… that is if you do not die first."

"You better shuffle again if it says I will die," Edward muttered.

The old woman continued, "One of them has the ability to do it. But something is standing in the way."

Edward blinked. "Something?"

"You should change your course," she continued in a grim tone. "Things are going to turn dark, boy, and you do not want to be standing in the place when it happens."

Edward gave a short huff and stood up. He muttered, "There is no one who can even scratch me."

The old woman didn't comment on it and raised her hand, saying, "That will be one silver."

Hermes quickly pulled out a coin and dropped it into the old woman's hand.

Hailey eagerly took a seat in front of the woman. She cleared her throat and leaned forward slightly before whispering, "Can you tell me if I will end up with a rich man?"

The old woman shuffled and drew three cards again, placing them flat on the table. Curious, Ruelle leaned slightly to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of the cards. Strange symbols were drawn on them, the images faded from being handled too many times.

When the old woman clicked her tongue, Hailey immediately turned pale and Ruelle frowned.

But then the old woman replied, "Yes."

Hailey blinked. "...Then why did you click your tongue?"

"I ate something bad this morning," the old woman replied calmly. "My stomach has been disagreeing with me all day."

When Hailey finally finished asking her questions and stood up looking satisfied as if she had found fortune already, Edward leaned forward slightly and said,

"Ruelle, you should ask about yourself next."

Seeing no real harm in letting the old woman speak her strange predictions, Ruelle took the seat in front of the table. The old woman shuffled the cards slowly, her pale eyes resting on Ruelle's face a moment longer than necessary.

"I am guessing you have the same question as your friend," the old woman said.

Ruelle opened her mouth to correct her, but before she could speak, the old woman placed the cards on the table.

"The man you will end up with is a prince."

Ruelle noticed how the old woman's eyes moved to her left, where Edward stood. Did the fortune teller make up things just because the prince was here? Or was it fate for her… to be the prince's mistress?

The old woman's eyes returned to the cards and she murmured, "How unfortunate. It won't stop..."

"What?" Ruelle's eyebrows furrowed as she felt her palms grow cold.

"Darkness is going to descend. When that time comes, do not blame yourself. Some people are given heavier fates than others." As she spoke, a card slipped from the deck in her hand and fell onto the table. She turned it over and stared at it. "…But time will help if that is what you want," she murmured.

All Ruelle could feel was an ominous pressure from her future.

"What darkness are you talking about?" Edward asked, before going on, "Ruelle is a bright person. She is the light."

Handing the old woman money, they began to leave when Ruelle fell behind and she turned to the person, asking,

"Do you know what the purpose of the mirror is?" She could tell this person was a witch.

The old woman stared at Ruelle, and the corner of her lips briefly curled as she answered, "I don't. But you shouldn't ask others the same. Not everyone of our kind will sit back and not try to steal what you have."